BATON ROUGE — It's no secret that when LSU and Florida play Saturday, two of the nation's best defenses will be facing off.

Under new defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, LSU has markedly improved defensively, but Florida defensive coordinator Geoff Collins has done a similarly impressive job with his unit.

"I think their defensive coordinator, Geoff Collins, is one of the top young coaches in the country," said LSU interim coach Ed Orgeron. "I know him from the days of Mississippi State. He's a friend of mine, and he has a lot of respect from our staff. Multiple scheme, 4-3, 3-4, no key, has seven returning starters."

Orgeron had similar praise for his coaching staff and players following the Tigers' defensive beat down of Missouri, which was a flea-flicker pass away from a shutout in a 42-7 loss Saturday after Missouri beat Delaware State, 79-0, one week prior.

"On defense, you have to give credit to Dave Aranda and our staff, along with Pete and Corey," Orgeron said of new defensive line coach Pete Jenkins and secondary coach Corey Raymond. "They did a tremendous job of defending a very, very explosive offense. I thought our DBs had the best games of the year. We played some tight coverage, some man-to-man coverage."

So how do the two units compare? Let's break down the numbers.

One of the things that immediately jumps out about defenses is their ability to stop teams from scoring in the red zone. Both rank in the top 15 of traditional-scoring defense in the country — Florida fourth in the country, LSU 11th — but the traditional scoring rankings only tell half the story.

LSU has only allowed three touchdowns in 15 red zone trips this season, the third-best rate in the country. Although LSU has given up plenty of field goals, 10 in 15 trips, the defense sees that as an overall win for the unit.

“That’s our thing," said middle linebacker Kendell Beckwith. "Giving up a field goal is like winning for a defense. As long as we don’t give up touchdown after touchdown, that’s a win.”

Florida's defense overall has been more effective near the end zone as it is sixth nationally in red zone scoring percentage allowed, whereas the Tigers rank 78th. It is also important to note that the Gators' defense has faced fewer red zone attempts (20th in the country) than LSU's defense (43rd in the country).

Orgeron praised Aranda's ability to make adjustments from the sideline on a play-by-play basis, something he said has helped LSU to give up just five touchdowns this season.

"His organization, his structure, his system, his attention to detail, his calmness, his leadership ability, his ability to sit on the sideline and see what the offense is doing to us and make an adjustment the next play," Orgeron said. "If they are hurting us in one area, he can call a defense and make an adjustment to take that away. It's like a chess match with him."

Outside of the red zone, the two defenses are very similar when it comes to stopping the run. Both teams have excelled throughout the season, with Florida ranked 10th in the nation in rushing defense and LSU 19th. Contrary to other defenses in the country, both Florida and LSU's rushing defenses have actually improved as the game has gone on rather than wearing down.

In the first quarter, LSU is allowing only 3.04 yards per attempt, an impressive figure, but in the fourth quarter the Tigers are only allowing a paltry 1.51 yards per attempt. Florida has similar splits, only allowing 1.66 yards per carry in the fourth quarter, down from 2.44 yards per carry in the first.

The Gators' defense has been slightly better in third and short, allowing only 3.14 yards per carry. On third down and less than three yards to go, LSU is allowing 4.21 yards per carry.

But it's the passing defense where Florida has really made its bones this season. The Gators' secondary is considered one of the best in country, and for good reason. Florida ranks fifth in passing defense to LSU's 52nd, and fourth in passer rating in the end zone.

Florida cornerback Teez Tabor is widely considered one of the best cornerbacks in the country, and LSU wide receiver Travin Dural said the Tigers' offense is looking forward to the competition..

"We're playing in Florida. They are going to be well-coached and come out and play with a lot of passion and energy," Dural said. "I love competition. It brings out the best in everyone. Tabor is a very competitive guy. He's very talented, and it's going to be a great challenge."

The Gators' defense is only allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete 39 percent of their passes this season, good for a lowly 86.37 passer rating. At home the Gators' defense gets even better, allowing a completion percentage of 34 percent.

In obvious passing situations on third down with seven-to-nine yards to go, the Gators' defense is allowing a 30 percent completion percentage and holding quarterbacks to a poor 54.56 passer rating.

The Gators' defense did show some cracks in the 38-28 loss to Tennessee though, giving up 319 passing yards to the Vols. The 319 yards given up in that game represents 46 percent of all of the passing yards the Gators have given up this season.

The Vols challenged the vaunted group of cornerbacks more than any other team Florida has faced thus far. In the first three weeks of the season Tabor, Quincy Wilson and Duke Dawson had been targeted nine times in pass coverage and had given up zero receptions. Against Tennessee, they were targeted 17 times and gave up 10 receptions for 227 yards. Surprisingly, the Vols went at Tabor in particular, targeting him nine times.

LSU quarterback Danny Etling said he was impressed with Florida's defense, but wouldn't read too much into avoiding one guy in particular in the passing game.

"You don't like to get too much into that. Once I get a better feel for him I'll decide how to go about it," Etling said. "You just want to find guys who are open and try to get a good scheme to take advantage of any matchups we can get."